David Beckham and Ronaldo to compete at Commonwealth Games – but it’s NOT global footballing icons

DAVID BECKHAM and Ronaldo will attend the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The duo will don lycra and race helmets for some pedal power next week at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, next to Celtic’s Parkhead. David Beckham Elkatohchoongo is set to compete in Glasgow Credit: AFP Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam will be in action in Glasgow Credit: Alamy And Scottish fans are likely to go wild when their names are read out to the crowd over four days of track-cycling competition. But to be clear here, we are not talking about the two famous football superstars… Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Instead, we are referring to David Beckham Elkatohchoongo – one of India’s finest cyclists – who will be in action at the trimmed-back Games. And the Ronaldo in question is Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam, who is actually named after Ronaldinho Gaucho, the Brazilian 2002 World Cup champion, not the Portuguese icon Cristiano. Clearly their respective parents were mad-keen football fans when the two riders were born towards the start of the millennium. And they get a lot of funny looks from Customs Officers whenever they travel the world and open their passports. David Beckham, 23, failed to be Goldenballs on a bike when he crashed out of the men’s Keirin repechages on his Commonwealth Games debut in London in 2022 – on his first visit to England. The speedster was named in honour of the former England and Manchester United star by his dad, a former professional street footballer, who died in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. Most read in Athletics CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS David Beckham was named after the Man Utd and England icon Credit: AFP Becks said: “I was called David Beckham because my dad was a huge fan. He is the best footballer ever. “The name is a blessing. David Beckham is world famous. Everybody knows him. But nobody believes me when I tell them my name. “Immigration only believed me when they saw my passport.” Ronaldo, 24, is a former junior track cycling world champion and has various medals from the Asian Championships. The inspiration for his name comes from his family watching Ronaldinho score that wonder goal for Brazil over the head of England goalkeeper David Seaman in the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals in Japan. It is believed Singh’s father received a telephone call from his wife at the exact moment Ronaldinho’s 40-yard free-kick went in, telling him that she had gone into labour. Little did he know that two decades later that same son would be heading to a second Commonwealth Games on UK soil. Comment now